Nov 3, 2009 6:41 pm US/Pacific
Dogs Shot After Mauling SJ Animal Control Officer
SAN JOSE (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A San Jose animal control officer was recovering Tuesday after she was attacked by two American bulldogs that were later shot by police, authorities said.
The officer was responding to a complaint in the 2300 block of Pentland Way from a neighbor about the dogs straying into his backyard when she was attacked around 8 a.m., according to police and fire officials.
Denise Friedrich, a 5-year-veteran of the department, was treated and released from a hospital after being bitten nine times on her arms, legs and buttocks. Authorities said she will require surgery.
San Jose Fire Capt. Barry Stallard said a San Jose police officer shot the dogs after hearing Friedrich's screams. One dog died at the scene, while the other was put down after being wounded.
While the dogs took a sizeable chunk of flesh out of the officer's right arm, Stallard was relieved that the dogs did not bite her face or neck.
"She was fighting them, kicking them, trying to fight them with her baton," he said.
Stallard said the dogs were extremely aggressive, and officers had to fire 11 rounds before they were incapacitated. He estimated that the two male American bulldogs weighed about 80 pounds each.
Police said two men, who have been cited five times about the animals, were taken into custody. Police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez declined to give the names of the dogs' owners.
The neighboring homeowner who called police to report the vicious animals told officers he usually keeps the glass sliding door to his backyard open in the mornings, but it happened to be closed on Tuesday, Stallard said.
"He was about to feed his 6- and 8-year-old kids breakfast and those dogs were jumping against the sliding door,"Stallard said. "Those kids would have been torn to pieces."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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